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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27979146">Snowfall</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia'>myotishia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Psyonic [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Multi, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:41:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27979146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Cardiff is in the grip of unusually heavy snowfall a man is found frozen solid.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Psyonic [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766956</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Snowflakes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>That odd time between christmas and new years day always felt a little unreal. There was nothing to really do and the returning snow hadn’t helped. It had melted off, returned, melted off, returned and it had now decided to stick around for a bit. Not that most people minded. Any excuse to keep the relatives from visiting. The hub was still decorated as it had been for most of the month and likely would be until at least January the fifth, rift allowing. Myfanwy had decided that the next ice age had arrived so she was hunkered down in her nest, only venturing out once in a while to stretch her wings and vocal chords. Below, the team were ‘working’. They were in work, yes, but was any work actually being done? No. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen had decided that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be in work, even if her soon to be mother in law was visiting. It just couldn’t be helped. She’d offer to let Rhys pretend to be possessed by an alien to get him out of it too, but he’d said that knowing his mother she’d track him down on instinct alone and even Torchwood wasn’t ready for that. Tosh and Jack had been playing fetch with Ammit as if the large robot was a dog. It seemed to be enjoying the game anyway. The sound of the cog door rolling back pulled their attention. Melody entered, wrapped up in a thick coat, scarf, hat and gloves. Her heavy boots covered in snow. She slipped a large backpack from her shoulders before pulling her scarf down from her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear it’s getting colder out there.” She said, pulling off her gloves. “But I did manage to get sandwiches, pastries and snacks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto walked over to greet her and grab the bag. “I left your spare shoes over by the sofa. Has it started snowing again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, and yep. It’s a blizzard out there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like a hot chocolate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes please.” She smiled brightly, unbuttoning her coat and slipping off her boots. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen put down the book he’d been reading. “Didn’t you say your girlfriend was staying with you for a few days?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why are you here when you don’t actually have to be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heather had business calls to deal with all day so it’s just easier for me to be here for the day. We were going to go out later but if it keeps snowing like this I think we’re going to be staying in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Plenty you can do when you’re stuck at home.” He smirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blushed brightly, the red of her cheeks almost seeming to glow as it brightened under the slight wind burn running across her skin. “That’s for tomorrow. Long business calls don’t exactly set the mood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So your sex life runs on a rota? That’s the nerdiest thing I’ve ever heard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Certain things need planning.” She shrugged. “By the way, you still need to confirm the annual physical date. It’s been penciled into a two week maybe for three months.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like to be flexible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least narrow it down to a few days?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? You hiding a drug habit I don’t know about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Of course not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen rolled her eyes. “Stop winding her up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a legitimate question. Don’t need her selling off Myfanwy for smack.” He said, amused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ignore him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mel got a slightly mischievous smile on her face as she slipped on her dry shoes. “It’s ok Gwen. I just don’t want to ask Heather to stay over the day before so I don’t have to answer any questions about rope burn.” She said plainly before walking off to put her boots away in her locker. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. What?” Owen called after her and Gwen fell into a fit of giggles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After lunch the team had relaxed into simply sitting around chatting, but their peace was interrupted by an alert. Tosh walked over to the nearest computer to check the message. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Asked Jack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glanced over at him then back to the screen. “A body’s been found frozen solid in Blackweir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not unheard of in this weather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not just frozen. Frozen solid. Standing by the roadside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, that’s a bit more unusual.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s having to be moved with the piece of pavement he was standing on. Should I reroute the body?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell them not to move it. I’ll go and meet them there. Owen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen looked very unimpressed about being dragged out into the cold but work was work. “I thought the rift gave us a break in the snow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you don’t want to find out what happened to this ice man?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea, I just wish I didn’t have to freeze to do it.” He grumbled, going to grab his coat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man would easily have been missed as a thick layer of snow had stuck to him. He had only been discovered when a group of kids, having a snowball fight, had hit him and knocked off enough snow to show his dead eyes and blue skinned face. With the snow brushed away you could see that he’d been dressed for the weather: thick coat pulled tightly around him, hat pulled down over his ears, thermal gloves holding what heat they could to stave off frostbite. He didn’t look terrified like you’d expect but simply tired, as if he’d been walking in the snow for hours. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Going on the thickness of the snow that’s collected on his head and shoulders I’d say he’s only been here for six to eight hours.” Owen said, brushing more snow from the mans face. “I doubt there’s anything left from whatever froze him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack looked around at the houses. “And noone heard anything?” He said to himself, frowning. “They were most likely in so why.” He approached one of the officers that had been posted at the edge of the taped off area. “Have the residents been questioned?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes sir. They all say the same thing. They didn’t hear anything, just found the poor bloke when the kids hit him with a snowball.” The officer said plainly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing strange?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned back to the body. “I guess we’ll just have to get him unfrozen from the floor.” He moved over next to Owen. “Do you think we can move him in one piece?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yea, the problem is we might need a forklift just to move him” The doctor grumbled, his breath rising in clouds into the air. “Is it me or has it actually gotten colder?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The blizzard isn’t helping.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have we got a chisel and hammer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but I think we have something better.” He walked back to the SUV, pulling his coat tightly around himself to block out some of the cold. He grabbed a device from the SUV that was essentially a portable acetylene cutting torch. Great for heavy metal doors, steel girders and now frozen solid bodies that didn’t want to be separated from the path. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took a while for the body to defrost enough for Owen to do anything. It was literally frozen solid. Each blood cell was damaged by the ice crystals expanding. It wasn’t possible. Even if he’d been showered in liquid nitrogen this wouldn’t have happened. He was ready to say that it had happened instantly before he’d managed to pry off the mans boots and realised he had frostbite in his toes. It was the same when his gloves were pulled back. The mans fingers blackened with the advanced stages of frostbite. There just wasn’t enough time for this to happen, with what he was wearing he should have been able to walk around all night without that level of damage. It didn’t make sense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tosh, are you sure we had no spikes in rift activity last night?” He asked from the archway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh glanced over. “I’m certain, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He looks like he should have been out in the cold for days, not a few hours. Any sign of a temporal distortion in the area?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I even looked for smaller spikes, but the area was completely calm. That said, an isolated distortion controlled by an outside force wouldn’t raise an alarm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trapped in a time bubble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or some kind of temporary pocket dimension.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That might explain how he was still on his feet when he was flash frozen. Do me a favour, come and have a look at his face. Something’s bugging me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pushed herself away from her desk and followed him into the medical bay, the temperature dropping a few degrees just from moving through the archway. She looked down at the partially thawed body, its moment of death perfectly preserved. “He looks exhausted but… Is he smiling a little?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought. I just don’t know why. He must have been in agony. Even if he was hallucinating he wouldn’t be smiling like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe he thought he saw someone coming to rescue him. Can you send me a picture of his face? I can try and identify him while he defrosts a little more.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do, thanks Tosh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” She smiled softly, turning to head back to her desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, and if you see Ianto can you get him to bring me a coffee? I’m bloody freezing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She paused. “Why don’t you come up for a bit? He’s not going to thaw that quickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea, I suppose.” He pulled off his gloves and tossed them into the bin before washing his hands. The water felt hot running over his cold fingers. Maybe he needed a thicker coat if it was going to be staying as cold as it was outside. It had felt much too cold to actively snow but maybe it was just the windchill.  He made his way over behind Tosh and slipped his hands under the sides of her shirt, making her squeak and jump at the sudden cold. He laughed as she wriggled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You're freezing! Go warm your hands up on a radiator!” She huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t move his hands, a cheeky grin on his face. “I think this is working pretty well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re lucky I love you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea I am.” He kissed her on the cheek and leaned on her shoulder. “Hopefully when the body defrosts he’ll have a wallet or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can find out faster if you get me that picture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, ok.” He pulled his hands away and took out his phone, going to get a picture of the mans face. He attached it to an email and sent it to her before returning to his previous position, his hands somewhat warmer than they had been the first time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toshikos fingers danced across her keyboard, setting up search terms and letting one of her many programmes take over the identification process. It didn’t take long to bring up a match. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lewis Darwin, fifty two years old, lived only two streets away from where he was found.” She said. “Do you think he was just walking home?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hate to say it but it’s possible. Did he have any family?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A daughter but she lives in the US. He’s divorced and has been for six years. Lives alone… The last he used his debit card was ten thirty four last night. By the looks of it he was probably walking home from the pub.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked over to Gwen. “Fancy a trip to the pub? Pick up some security tapes?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh you’re so generous.” Gwen sighed. “Ok, but I’m in control of the heating in the SUV.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tapes only showed Lewis leaving the pub alone but not much more. As the blizzard got even harder Jack sent his team home. There wasn’t much they could do until the body had defrosted a bit more and the roads, even gritted, were becoming a nightmare to traverse. Ianto spent the evening double checking that the boiler in the hub wasn’t going to give out then went to find Jack who was sitting inside the fishers enclosure. The sand was kept warm so it was rather comfortable. Peaches was digging around in Jacks pocket, looking for shiny objects or snacks. Raspberry was busy eating a prawn, using his little hands to pull away pieces of its shell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The boiler should hold. Having fun?” Ianto asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack smiled brightly. “I was making sure they were warm enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were spoiling them again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re supposed to be a bit…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chunky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They seem happy enough. What would they do in winter in their natural habitat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t really have winter. Not like this anyway. In the colder season you’d only need a light coat unless you were out in the desert at night. Not that you’d ever be out there at night unless you wanted to die, or worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto let himself into the cell and sat on the sand. “How do you handle the winters here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Practice.” He shooed Peaches out of his pocket. “I have somewhere to hide out and someone to stay warm with so I can cope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto smiled. “Very smooth.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could visit my home. Before the invasion of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a long way off. I’ve been thinking of making a list. All the places we could visit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty happy here for now.” He petted Raspberry who had finished his snack and looked like he wanted to settle for the night. “I think we’re being kicked out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack chuckled warmly. “I think you might be right.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Blizzard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Melody awoke to her phone buzzing softly. She squinted her eyes to try and block out some of the light from the device as she reached over and grabbed it. Why was Gwen calling her? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” She whispered as she gently untangled herself from Heathers arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen sounded relieved as she began. “Sorry to call you this early but noone else is answering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s fine. What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our boiler’s decided to give out and we can’t get it repaired until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. We aren’t priority and apparently there have been lots of heating callouts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no. Are you ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea. We’re ok, just… I hate to ask but can we come over to yours? I know this is a pain and Heather’s visiting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you can. No use freezing at your place with no heating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks sweetheart. You’re an angel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any time. I got a fold out sofa for christmas so I can set it up for you. You can both crash when you get here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise I’ll make it up to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine. See you soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you in a bit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The call ended and Mel placed her phone back on the bedside table. Heather snuffled, waking up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” She asked, only half awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melody smiled softly, not that it could be seen in the dark. “Gwens boilers gone so her and Rhys are going to come over so they don’t freeze. I’m just going to set up the sofa for them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no. Do you need a hand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naa. I’ll be fine. You go back to sleep.” She kissed her girlfriend on the forehead before slipping out of bed. It felt chilly even with the heating on as she padded into the living room, pulling her dressing gown on as she went. Switching the light on in the living room made her wince, her eyes getting used to the light. The clock on the wall said it was only two in the morning. She moved the coffee table and pulled out the sofa bed before going to grab the spare pillows and bedding. On the way she turned up the heating and glanced out of the window at the still falling snow. Her eyes followed the slow descent of each large flake. In a flash she saw a hand, pale as the snow itself but with blackened fingertips, hit the window with an open palm. The shock made her stagger back but after blinking the hand was gone. She was half asleep, that’s all it was. She dropped the bedding onto the bed and closed the curtains, not wanting her mind to conjure anything else up in the empty night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rhys had insisted on driving so Gwen was wrapped up in her coat and an extra blanket in the passenger seat. It hadn’t been fun waking up to a cold flat, especially so early in the morning. The roads were thankfully empty as it was hard to see more than a few meters ahead, the fog lights reflecting a blinding white off the compacted snow. So much for the gritters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen it this bad before.” Rhys said, eyes locked on the road, trying not to worry about another car plowing into them from the curtain of snow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it carries on the whole city’ll grind to a halt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This wasn’t what I meant by a white christmas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chuckled, closing her eyes for a little bit. “If your singing powers are that strong you could have sung about winning the lottery or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My useless superpower. I sing and it snows. You alright my love?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. Just tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not far now. I wish it was easier to see though.” He narrowed his eyes to try and make out the road ahead, knowing there was a turn coming up. He slowed down as he saw the vague shape of a figure. The closer he got the more it looked like a woman with long hair. What was she doing out without a hat? It didn’t look like she was wearing a proper coat either. “Oh god, looks like granny’s picked the worst time to go for a nighttime walk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened her eyes and stared into the haze of white, seeing the figure too. “Bloody hell. Who goes out in weather like this?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poor lass probably doesn’t even realise.” He rolled down his window as the car slowly approached, letting in a biting wind that felt much colder than the air had when they’d rushed out to the car. “You ok there love?” He called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The figure stopped, turning its head slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bit cold for a walk. You alright?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A howling wind caught the snow on a nearby rooftop sending a fresh sheet of snow down onto the car, covering the windshield for only a moment but long enough for the figure to disappear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen rubbed her eyes. “Where did she go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I don’t know.” He rolled up the window to conserve some of the heat and drove forward, looking carefully for any sign of the figure. There weren’t even any footprints in the thick layer of snow. “How did … God we’re both seeing things now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no footprints. The snow’s got us seeing things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She relaxed into her seat and pulled the blanket closer around her neck. “If there’s no sign of anyone let’s just get to Mels where it’s warm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded in agreement, moving a little faster than he probably should but wanting to get away from who or whatever that pale figure had been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gwen awoke the next morning to her phone buzzing from her bag next to the sofa bed. She reached out, thankful that the room was pleasantly warm, and picked it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning. Sorry I missed your call last night.” Jack said, much more awake than she was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laid her head down on her pillow. “It’s ok. I got hold of Mel in the end. My boiler decided to up and die so we were looking for somewhere warm to sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The worst timing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is. Are you just returning my call or...?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got another body.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Another frozen one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Solid. Your old friends already had it on the way to the morgue when I found out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found out.” Iantos voice could be heard faintly in the background.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ianto found out. Anyway, it’s on its way here, but that means we have something active.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed. “Too much to ask for it to be a one off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get here when you can. I’ve heard the roads are dangerous so take your time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do.” She hung up and tossed her phone back into her bag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rhys rolled over and pulled her into a very sleepy hug. “Work calling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep. No rest for the wicked.” She slid out of bed and stretched as she walked over to Melodys bedroom door, knocking softly. After a few moments Mel appeared, opening the door just a little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack just called. Will you be up to work today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea, just give me twenty minutes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said we should take our time so don’t rush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. You can help yourself to breakfast.” She nodded towards the kitchen before sleepily plodding to the bathroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen took the opportunity to find coffee. She didn’t mind instant in the morning even if it tasted like dirt, it was caffeinated dirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Owen and Tosh were both shivering as they entered the hub, thankful for the heating. It was too cold. They could feel it. Too cold for Wales at any time of year. Tosh sat at her computer and woke it up, setting up temperature monitoring for the surrounding area. Minus twenty eight in the centre of Cardiff. Colder than any time on record and only getting worse. Something was drawing the heat from the air but there was nothing she could find in the sky. It had to be something on the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto walked up from the depths of the hub carrying a pile of thick coats. The kind you’d see people on arctic expeditions wearing. He placed them down on the sofa. “Morning.” He said. “Coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please.” Smiled Tosh gratefully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen simply nodded. “The new body arrived yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Draw nine.” Ianto confirmed. “Frozen solid. Mr Darwin should have thawed enough by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bet I can tell you how he died.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which is good as Jack wants you to go with him and look around the scene.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s what the coats are for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you go with him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am, and so’s Gwen when she gets here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh gave a sympathetic smile. “And I’m guessing I’m staying here to keep an eye on any drastic temperature changes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Temporal shifts, dimensional anomalies or the ever popular rift fluctuations.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Harkness then?” Asked Owen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s bringing up the gloves and hats.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gwen pulled her scarf up over her nose as she stepped out of the SUV, her boots sinking into the shin deep snow. The air felt like it was trying to drag the heat from her core, held back only by the layers of fabric wrapped around her body. She looked around, a feeling of deja vu washing over her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This was where the body was found?” She asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack nodded. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was driving past here last night. Around two thirty. Me and Rhys both thought we saw a woman with white hair walking that way.” She pointed. “But when we got closer she disappeared and there were no footprints in the snow. I thought I was just half asleep but it feels like a bit too much of a coincidence.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you say disappeared?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the blink of an eye. One second she was there and the next she was gone. She was wearing a white dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a ghost if they existed.” Owen said as he walked past and towards the taped off area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d agree if she hadn’t seen the very much solid figure for herself. “More like something using a human shape.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry to interrupt but the temperature around your location is dropping.” Tosh said over coms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack frowned. “How fast?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A degree per minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn. Sounds like something doesn’t like us looking into it.” He walked over to where Owen was looking at the gap where the body once stood. “Anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen crouched down and ran his gloved hand over the empty space. “It’s even colder in this specific spot. Tosh, are there any warm spots at all around here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My sensors are picking up the SUV and you four but that’s it… Wait…” She said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t leave me hanging here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About three hundred meters south of you. There’s a warm spot but not warm enough to be a human. A live one anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto and Gwen walked south. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see anything out here.” Ianto noted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen nodded. “It’s desolate. Are you sure Tosh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s moved. Jack, it’s closer to you now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Wh… s... “ The sound of the captains voice crackled with static. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The coms signal is weak. Say again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To….” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen, is yours working?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only faint crackling noise was returned. Ianto and Gwen headed back to the taped off area and found it empty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack? Owen?” Gwen called out, seeing no sign of either of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto looked down at the snow. “There are no tracks leading away. Tosh, did you just get any kind of distortion. Anything at all?” He asked, the slight panic he was feeling seeping through in his words. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Biting cold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jack and Owen both stared at the seemingly infinite fields of snow, spanning off in every direction. Their earpieces were dead, unable to pick up any kind of signal, so there was no calling for help. Not that being able to would change anything. They knew their sudden disappearance would be noticed and a rescue plan would be in the works. That didn’t change the fact they were standing in an infinite field of snow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit.” Owen breathed, more to himself than Jack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The captain shuddered. “We should move. Keep warm. Maybe try and find something to light a fire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what? Everything’s snow. Even if we dug up some branches or whatever they’d be soaked through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <b>looks</b>
  <span> like it’s all snow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if we walk too far they might not be able to find us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well we can’t just stand here!” He barked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever that thing is, it wants us to tire ourselves out. I looked at the new body before we left. It had the same frostbite on its fingers and toes. The soles of his boots were worn and they looked to be soaked through. He had the same exhausted smile on his face and looking at this place it makes sense. They could both have walked for hours, days even, and when they had nothing left that thing showed itself. A figure that looks like a human being, a ray of hope, just before it finishes them off. We need to move but we need to conserve energy too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to concede that what Owen said made sense. If they did walk to the horizon and found yet more snow they’d have no choice to just walk back, that was if they could even find their way back. There was a high probability that it would snow again, covering their footprints.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen, listen. If the cold starts getting to you tell me. I don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here and if I freeze I’ll wake up again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you planning to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can have my coat. For now we could make a kind of igloo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better than no shelter, and I doubt Tosh’ll allow us to stay here long enough for you to start stripping.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, glad that Owen still had his sense of humour. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ianto and Gwen had temporarily retreated back to the SUV to warm up and make a plan with Tosh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever that thing is knew we were searching for it so it lured us away.” Gwen sighed, feeling a mixture of fear and annoyance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh appeared on the screen set into the back of the passenger seat. “We shouldn’t be doubting ourselves right now. I’m working on pinpointing exactly how they were taken so just bare with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did it take them? What does it gain that it couldn’t get here?” Asked Ianto, looking out of the window towards the taped off area. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a trap I assume. It might not be physically strong so it hunts like this instead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does it gain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heat I think. Humans produce a steady amount of it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen pulled off her gloves. “Do you think it was the woman I saw?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yuki-onna.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It sounds like the legends of a snow woman. A spirit that appears as a pale and beautiful woman in the snow and lures men to feed off their life energy. The story changes a little depending on where it’s told, but how she looks tends to stay the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wouldn’t be the first time an alien race has sparked legends.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember when you were trapped in that out of phase area with the Doctor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea. Is it the same thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes and no. It’s similar. The device that was used to do that was basic and just took what was already present. It was easy to work out what was causing it. This is more complex but I think there might be something I can do. It’ll take time though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto looked back at the screen. “How long? Going on the bodies we don’t have much time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few hours. Less if I can get some help. They’re wearing clothing designed for such low temperatures so it should buy them some time. Get back to the hub as soon as you can. I’ll get started on the device.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re on our way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Owen hated the fact that he’d already started to shiver. The igloo he and Jack had been building now had walls to block the wind that had picked up. It was pretty effective all things considered. The ground below them had been cleared of snow but that didn’t make it any warmer, and it wasn’t as if they had anything to make a barrier between them and the ground. That meant no chance of sitting down any time soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long’s it been?” Owen asked, compacting another handful of snow on the top of the chest high wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack clumsily checked his wrist comp. “Five hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Christ.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it’s trying to compensate so I’d say it’s only been at most an hour back in our world.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t make it better. I’m not built for the cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t waste your energy on panicking. We’ll get out of this. You know, I spent the night in a mud shelter once. I’d got separated from my unit at the edge of the battlefield when the sun was setting. I managed to crawl unseen into a fresh shell crater and built walls like these to keep any extra water or loose mud from getting in. By the time it got dark I’d made this little shelter. My fingers were numb and it was cramped as hell but it kept in the warmth. I ended up curled around a lighter. The next morning I heard voices on the surface and risked breaking out. The whole field had frozen over in the night. You should have seen the majors face when I popped out of the ground like a mole.” He laughed fondly at the memory. “It had been his lighter. He said he would have punched me if I hadn’t just spent the night buried under the frozen ground.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hope the thing hunting us doesn’t fancy doing any digging.” He stopped building for a moment to rest his fingers. “Do we have to put a lid on this thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Being as heat rises.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t bloody patronise me. Just feels like being buried. Small space.” He rubbed his arms nervously, looking over the wall and into the snowy expanse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack dusted off his gloves and rested a hand on Owens shoulder. “You’re ok.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yea. Yea I know. S’just the cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure Tosh is already half way through making a way to get us back. Just think about seeing her again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded weakly. He just had to keep his mind distracted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh had been working feverishly to modify the dimensional phase shift device, trying not to let the time limit stress her out enough to let her make mistakes. No, Toshiko Sato did not make mistakes when she was truly needed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tosh?” Mel asked softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can make the fear go away so you can concentrate if you want. Or at least take the edge off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea. It’s actually pretty easy. You won’t stop caring but it won’t set off your anxiety response. Only if you think it’ll help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will it leave my mind clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Completely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok then. Go ahead.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just carry on working and pretend I’m not even here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh turned her attention back to her work and found that her thoughts were much clearer and sharper. She’d been agonising over how to stabilise the transition between the pocket dimension and the original dimension, but now it seemed so clear. She could have this done in five minutes. “Get everything ready to go. I’m almost done.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes ma’am.” She waved over at Gwen who’d been sitting with Ianto, warming up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack nudged Owen. “Don’t go to sleep. Come on, talk to me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry… It’s getting hard to think.” He slurred slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The captain moved to take off his coat. “Here-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! Don’t!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? I’ll revive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m fucking scared! Ok?! I’m scared and if you die then I’m on my own!” His voice cracked as he shouted. “Bad enough that I might be found as a chunk of ice, buried in the snow, but having to spend my last few hours alone… No! I can’t do that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He fell into a fit of coughing, the icy air burning his lungs. He was exhausted, aching all over, feeling like if he blinked his eye lids would freeze closed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack pulled him into a hug. “Easy, easy. I’ll stay with you for as long as I can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry… ‘m not thinking straight.” He leaned heavily on his friends shoulder, biting back tears, lest he lose the last bits of heat he had left. “It’s bad. I’ve stopped shivering… Can’t stand… Can’t stay awake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare. Tosh’ll kill me if we lose you to the cold of all things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll take care of her, won’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen please-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you will. She always deserved better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you can give her that when we get out of here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And don’t tell my mum. She’s only be happy about it... Never did like me… Don’t know why. I wasn’t that bad of a kid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack pulled Owen closer. “Then she didn’t know what she had.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted her to be proud of me… Just once...  When… When I invited her to my wedding… D’you know what she said?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If she wasn’t doing anything else… I wasn’t even a second thought… I was …”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay with me. Come on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t even… Even come and see me… After Katie died… Don’t know… Why I still… try.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When we get out of here you can call her and tell her how much of a garbage person she is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No point… She… She knows.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should still tell her.” A loud thud from above made Jack look up and listen for what it could be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A feminine voice drifted in from outside, muffled by the layer of snow. “Are you lost?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He needed to keep Owen awake but there was no way he could fight anything off so he had to stay quiet. He slipped one arm inside his coat and tried to feel for his gun with mostly numb fingers. Another thump sent a shower of frost down on both of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is warm out here… I can lead you to safety.” The voice said, her intonation sounding completely wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was no good, even if he could find his gun he couldn’t prime or fire it. He needed another way. A sudden feeling, like the world had shifted a few meters, washed over him and the muffled sound of gunfire from outside startled him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack! Owen!” Gwen called, scraping at the outside of the small but rather tall igloo. The side fell away piece by piece, flooding the cove with light. She looked relieved when she saw Jacks eyes focus on her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down at Owen who didn’t look to be conscious. “Owen! Come on, we’re back. Owen.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto helped gather Owen up and move him to the SUV, helping Tosh wrap him in blankets. Jack looked back to where he heard the other voice but found only a pile of snow in the vague shape of a person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you walk?” Gwen asked, helping him up and letting him lean on her. “That thing crumbled as soon as we shot it. How long were you in there?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stumbled and limped towards the SUV, his legs still numb. “Don’t know. Felt like ten hours or more. Owen... He was talking only a minute ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get him to the hospital.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack heard his earpiece spark back to life, finally having something to connect to as Melody spoke from her place in the hub. “I’ve just given the usual clinic a heads up. They’ll be waiting for you at the doors.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Owen awoke in a small private room, the light through the window slowly dimming. He felt warm and the faint haze of a painkiller drifted over his thoughts. He was alive. Tosh was holding his left hand gently, staring down at their intertwined fingers as if lost in thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I still have both hands?” He asked groggily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her head shot up, looking at him with those beautiful dark eyes, sparkling with tears. “You do.” She half laughed, half sobbed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cheer up princess. No use crying over me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh shush. I’m allowed to cry. I almost lost you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hypothermia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got that much. My heart couldn’t take it, eh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It didn’t stop, but it was so hard to find a pulse. I thought we were too late. The doctor said if we hadn’t rushed you here it might have been.” She squeezed his hand softly, not wanting to cause him any discomfort. “Jack refused to let them even look at him until you were stable, even if he was looking very blue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he recovering?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. He’s in the room next door making the nurses blush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds about right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A knock at the door made her turn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen peeked her head around the door. “Ianto’s thinking of popping to the hub to get some real coffee, d-” Her face lit up as she saw Owen blink sleepily at her. “You’re awake. Oh thank goodness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard coffee. I could go for a coffee.” He smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see what the nurse says, but I’m sure we could smuggle you some in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised Ianto isn’t dragging Jack away from the nurses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, he’s spending more time chasing them away from Jack.”    </span>
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Black ice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The temperature in the area had risen quite a bit after the snow woman was killed. Not enough to thaw the thick snow but enough to be within natural levels. With Owen having to stay at the clinic overnight for observation and Tosh staying with him, Gwen and Mel grabbed a few things for their stay and dropped them off before heading home. Rhys and Heather were relaxing on the sofa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like you had a better day than we did.” Gwen smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rhys gave a sympathetic look. “We’ve just been watching tv and chatting. Bad day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not the worst but, yea, it was long. Did you sort the boiler?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They can’t come out until tomorrow morning. They promised they’d get it checked out at ten.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen sighed. “I’ll call around, see what hotels have space.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to. You can stay here if you want.” Melody said as she slipped off her boots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I’m sure. I’m not chucking you both out in the cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heather beamed. “Oooh I can cook. It’ll be fun. Rhys has been teaching me about rugby and I’ve promised to teach him about pro wrestling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are no rules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are lots of rules, they just don’t apply depending on what has to happen in the storyline.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I’m glad you had a good day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway-”, she got up and walked over to her girlfriend, lifting her up and pulling a fit of giggles out of her. “- to the kitchen.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen laughed warmly as the two disappeared into the kitchen. She sat on the sofa next to her fiancé. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what happened?” He asked, wrapping an arm around her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cuddled into him. “How did you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that look in your eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen almost died of hypothermia. He’s ok but he’s staying at the clinic overnight just in case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Christ. How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know the woman we saw last night in the snow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me, she was an alien.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep. One that feeds on heat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he’s alive and he’s going to be ok. That’s what matters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded. “I’m just knackered now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Least they’ve got dinner sorted.” He hugged her gently. He knew he could never fully understand what she was going through but he could try, and he could be there when things got hard. Even if it was just as a warm shoulder to lean on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Owen was exhausted but his mind wouldn’t let him sleep soundly. He’d crashed after having dinner even with the sneaky flask of coffee. Then again he suspected Ianto had given him half caff. His taste buds couldn’t tell the difference after the ice burn from breathing in the cold air. Tosh had mentioned that when the dimensions merged the ambient temperature was around minus forty degrees and she was sure it had been colder before the merge had completed. His memory of his time in the dark igloo was hazy at best. He remembered when his legs gave out and Jack had caught him. It had pulled them both to the floor but at least it stopped either of them landing too hard. He wouldn’t say it out loud but listening to Jacks dubiously true stories had helped him stay sane. Being shot was bad enough but at least he’d been out cold for most of that. This had been excruciatingly slow. The low level burning he felt all over made it hard to get comfortable as he looked over to the window, snow still falling outside. He actually missed the rain. Watching the ice build on the windowsill made his heart begin to race. Turning away he closed his eyes tight and tried to slow his breathing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen? Are you ok?” Tosh had felt him shift and looked up in the half light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t answer, his jaw clenched, trying to desperately swallow down the fear. He felt a warm hand brush over his cheek, wiping away a tear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She moved a little further up the bed and pulled him close. “It’s ok. I’ve got you.” She soothed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” His breath hitched as he buried his face in her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, don’t be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tangled his aching fingers in the fabric of her night dress, holding onto her as if at any moment she’d fade away. Melt through his fingers like a flake of snow. No, she was warm, solid, real. His heart rate slowed back to a resting rate as he lay in her arms, breathing in the soft scent of her perfume, listening to her heart beat in the silence of the room. She’d known this was coming. It had just been a matter of when. It had been the same after the incident at the power plant. He’d wake up in a cold sweat, terrified but not fully aware. It had only been a matter of seconds between escape and a horrific death due to radiation poisoning. He’d played it off as he caught his breath outside the building but being that close to death never hits right away. It waits until there’s no adrenaline left. Until you’re somewhat safe. Then it comes crashing down on you. Before then he’d not been that bothered by small spaces or being trapped behind locked doors. It was just another obstacle to be moved out of the way. But these experiences change how you think about things. She’d found him a couple of months after on his apartment floor, knuckles bloody from hitting the door because the lock had jammed and he couldn’t get out. He’d fallen into a complete panic and had broken his little finger on his left hand in the process. That had been a fun evening of trying to calm him down enough to treat his hand, and let her replace the lock she’d cut clean through to get in. She understood. Of course she did. After all, she’d had her own fair share of bad nights, even if he held himself to some ridiculous other standard, she knew both sides of a brush with death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt his grip loosen a little as he fell back into an uneasy sleep. She looked over to the window, the snow still falling softly past the half open blinds as it reflected the bright light of the moon. It was much too cold to snow like this. Though she’d seen the snow woman die she knew it wasn’t over, she just hoped they could have one night to recover before they had to face it again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack had awoken with a start. He’d been so tired after the events of the day that he’d decided to curl up with Ianto and actually get some rest. It had been a mistake. The story he’d told about hiding in a shell hole had been a half truth, as his stories often were. He preferred to soften the edges for his own sake if nothing else. That night he’d dragged a friend into that crater to try and protect them from sniper fire. He’d built their shelter in near pitch blackness out of necessity. Once it had been covered over he’d flicked on the lighter to check on his friend as he heard other men he’d called friends get gunned down above them. It was just by chance they’d fallen near the edge of the battlefield so they had a much better chance at being missed. His friend, Timothy had been his name, a man barely in his twenties with black hair and piercing grey eyes, was covered in mud and blood. One bullet had hit him in the shoulder and another in the leg. Jack had pulled off his own coat and wrapped it around the young mans shoulders while he tried desperately to stem the bleeding. There was little he could do to prevent infection, but that wasn’t his highest priority. If he did stop the bleeding then there was lead poisoning from the bullet to consider mixed with what godawful bacteria was swimming around the battlefield. It was better than the mire that had been the trench.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Timmy, you still with me?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young man opened one unfocused eye, his face ashen. “Jack?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea, it’s me. Just gotta stop this bleeding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thought I was dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You nearly were. No meeting your maker just yet.” He pulled the makeshift tourniquet around Tims leg tight. “Just need to lay low for a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled a little, leaning his head back against the side of the hole. “My mum would give me a clip round the ear... for gettin in a state like this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get you home so she can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S’cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, don’t have anything to light a fire in here.” He pulled the lighter, made from a bullet casing, from where he’d pressed it into the hardened mud wall. The whole shelter would have slipped away if it hadn’t been freezing. That was both a blessing and a curse. They wouldn’t drown in mud but they might freeze to death. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I don’t think I’m gonna make it back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Course you are. The girls’ll have you patched up in no time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes, his breathing shallow. “M’sorry Jack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man didn’t answer. In fact he never spoke again. Jack tried but he knew he had been fighting a losing battle. He’d sat in that freezing hole in the ground with the body of a man too young to have seen even half of the horrors he had for two days until he’d been discovered by those digging a trench on the small amount of land they’d gained. He still remembered the look on the majors face when he’d visited him in the field hospital. No one knew how he’d gotten out of that without a scratch on him but he had. He always did. Always.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His nightmare had just switched out poor Tim with Owen and it had torn that old wound open to stab him with fresh pain. Owen was alive, he had to remind himself of that. It might have been a close call but he’d survived. Jack started to regret not making the trip to Iantos flat as he stared up at the ghost of light that seeped in from the hub above, but that would have meant another trip out in the snow. Ianto was snoring softly, head rested on his chest, and the sound was comforting. Just another reassurance that he was there and would be for a long time. The captain would never have to be alone like that again. He pulled up the blanket, tucking them both in and closed his eyes, letting the warmth of his partner and the hum of the hub above lull him back to sleep.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the next morning dawned a body was found, half buried in the snow and frozen solid, huddled in the corner of their own back garden. The man had only gone out the day before for a loaf of bread but hadn’t returned. At least, that’s what his wife had thought until the sun rose and she went to feed the birds before calling the police yet again to report him missing. The neighbourhood awoke to her screaming.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack pulled up outside the Hydrangea apartments, noting the family of snowmen just left of the doorway that looked much too tall to have been made by a child. Gwen and Melody headed out of the building, rushing to the warm vehicle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning.” Mel said sleepily as she buckled herself in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen breathed warm air into her hands. “Did you say there’s another frozen body? I thought we killed that thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We killed one of them.” Ianto clarified, passing her a thermos full of coffee. “We only assumed it was working alone.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wrapped her hands around the thermos, soaking in the warmth before she even opened it. “So there’s another one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or more. There could be a whole gang.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great. Any news from Owen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tosh called to say he wanted to come to work so I think he’s feeling much better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told her she could get the doctors to sedate him if he was being a pain because there’s no way he’s working today.” Jack said. “She thought I was joking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen smiled, taking a long sip of coffee. “You know telling him no will just make him want to come in to spite you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I also said if he did enter the hub at any point today he’d be on desk duty for a month.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fingers crossed he’ll get some rest. How are you doing this morning?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me? I’m fine. It’ll take more than a bit of ice to stop me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t completely believe that but she wasn’t going to push the issue. “What’s the plan then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to where the body was found. As he technically died of terrestrial causes we can let the police deal with the body itself. I’m hoping the snow woman’s still around.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are we going to track it without Tosh monitoring the area for temperature changes?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Infrared goggles. We know it has some kind of form, we just can’t see it. And Melody?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mel looked up in surprise. “Yes? Is there something I can help with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it has a mind you can get into I want to know if there are any more and where they came from.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do my best.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The reflective paint of a police car shone brightly, cleared of snow and parked neatly in front of the house. The street was otherwise silent but a keen eye could spot the twitching of curtains in the front windows of nearby houses. It was the kind of area where someone getting a new birdbath would be the talk of the whole street for a week, so the sight of a police car brought out all the busybodies to investigate. Jack shot one woman a wide grin, making her retreat back into her living room after being spotted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mel, can you get everyone away from the windows?” He asked. The blond woman nodded and when he turned back the windows had all been vacated. “I wish we’d always been able to do that.” He pulled on the infrared goggles and let his eyes adjust to the mostly black image ahead. Anything that produced heat was lit up brightly. He turned, trying not to be blinded by the heat of the SUV cooling off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything?” Asked Gwen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we stand around long enough we might just lure it in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced around to Ianto and reached for his weapon. “Ianto, duck!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The welshman didn’t need telling twice. He crouched down and hoped whatever Jack was aiming at didn’t follow. He didn’t think he’d last too long in the snow dimension. The shot rang out and it definitely hit something as he was showered in a flurry of snow. He looked up as Jack was putting away his gun and stood, dusting off the layer of snow from his coat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was quick.” He noted as he brushed the snow from his hat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea, it was. These things don’t have much self control so why are we only getting one body per night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melody stepped out, pulling her scarf up over her nose and mouth. “I think there’s only one active at a time. There’s something birthing them but I couldn’t tell what it was or where.”               </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Snow blind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Owen sunk down into the sofa, glad to be back in some more familiar surroundings even if he’d been banned from going to work. He checked his arm, wincing at the growing bruise from where the IV had been placed and tried not to critique the doctors technique too much. It probably hadn’t been easy to get him out of that thick coat. He leaned his head back against the soft cushions and closed his eyes, just for a little bit, just resting his eyes. In his drowsy haze he heard a voice but not exactly what it said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” He opened one eye. “You say something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh looked up from the kitchen counter. “No. You looked like you were falling asleep. Why don’t you go and lie down. We can have lunch when you wake up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I get to have lunch in bed?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled warmly. “I’ll think about it.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled himself up and plodded to the bedroom, shedding his outer layer of clothing before crawling into bed. He relaxed into the soft cocoon and closed his eyes. After a moment he heard a female voice again, clearer this time, and it didn’t belong to Tosh. Where was it even coming from? There was no time to work it out as he drifted to sleep again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gwen and Ianto had been scouring the heat map of the city for the most likely place for these snow women to be spawning from. They’d isolated a few spots to concentrate on, but just checking each one wouldn’t be viable as every trip out on the roads was tempting fate. The first possible location could be ruled out after a quick dive into the local CCTV cameras showed a completely abandoned build site. It hadn’t been abandoned before the snow hit but a blizzard didn’t allow for proper health and safety on site. They thanked their lucky stars for those cameras. The second was a bit harder to search remotely as it didn’t have any cameras that could be hacked in to, but it was out in the water. A quick call to the local coastguard station crossed that off the list. That was a bit of a long shot but ignoring it off the bat would have been foolish. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next was more likely simply because the area should have been warm. Even just post christmas most clubs had reopened. Some had even tried to stay open under two feet of snow. Even closed it should have heat just to stop the pipes bursting, but no, it was as cold as the roads. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Melody.” Ianto called over to where Mel had been keeping busy with a stack of forms that needed signing and stapling together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She walked over. “Did you find a place?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember anything from the snow womans memories that could help us work out where it was born?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… Let me try and remember…. I saw…. Tables. There were tables covered in ice… It was dark… No windows. Sorry, that’s not very useful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, actually it’s very useful. It lines up with what we’ve found.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should get out there before it births another one.” Gwen said. “Where’s Jack?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mel looked to the cog door. “Didn’t he go up to the office? He should have come back by now. I’ll go and have a look.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get everything ready to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grabbed her coat before heading up as the tourist information centre hadn’t been in use for around a week so the heating hadn’t been on. When she reached the small office the door was sat open, an icy wind blowing in. She shuddered at the sudden cold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack?” She approached the door and looked out, seeing boot prints in the snow. She followed them out and saw Jack in the distance, without a coat but acting as if nothing was wrong. “Jack!” She called, bracing against a gust of icy wind. “Where are you going?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was moving slowly. Stopping to listen after each step. It gave her the chance to catch up and she reached out, grabbing his arm. He didn’t react. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack! Wake up!” She ordered, her voice not exactly suited to being demanding, and pulled on his sleeve. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked away the trance he’d been in and gasped at the cold. “Wha-... Where am I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out in the snow. Come back inside.” She took his hand, his fingers ice cold, and pulled him back towards shelter. “You were off with the fairies and just walking. I can find out what caused it once we get inside.” A sudden bolt of cold hit her in the chest, knocking her off her feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t meant to let go of her hand but his fingers were numb. With his senses returned to him, he heard a female voice. It was familiar and not in a comforting way. It was the same voice he’d heard while sheltering in the infinite snow field. He bent down to help Melody up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got to get inside.” He said firmly, more to himself than her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded, coughing and holding her chest with one hand as she stabilized herself with the other. They could both clearly see the figure of the snow woman now, pallid skin and white hair, milky white eyes staring daggers at them both. It raised its hand, the air in its palm seeming to crystallize.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> It aimed at her and the ice shot like an arrow towards her. Jack threw himself in front of it, taking a razor sharp icicle to the back. He cried out as blood dripped down onto the snow, staining it a bright crimson. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melody gasped, feeling like her insides were freezing, warmed only by the rage she was feeling at the creature. She glared into its eyes and hissed, her voice colder than the ice it had used as a weapon moments earlier. “Die!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air around the creature rippled before it let out a deafening shriek and fell to a pile of lifeless snow. Mel helped Jack stand and they both staggered back inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Christ! What happened up there?!” Gwen exclaimed as she saw the two limp in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack looked up, his lips blue and his broad frame shivering. “I went for a really short walk.” He winced. Making light of a situation never really took the pain away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you got impaled on an icicle?” Ianto took Melodys place to help Jack as she wasn’t exactly the strongest physically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snow women can shoot icicles. Who knew.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He guided the Captain to a seat, feeling just how cold he really was. “Is it still up there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No… Mel told it to meet its maker.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I pull this out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not usually what you as-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack. Not now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I would appreciate not having a three foot shard of ice sticking through my GAH!!” He shouted as the icicle was removed. Thankfully it was removed in one movement and the wound was covered with a towel so he could heal without bleeding out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen had rushed off to grab one of the larger first aid kits, mostly for the anaesthetic. Trust those two to pull the thing out without it. She offered it to Jack, who nodded and let her jab him with the thing. It only took a few seconds to work before he could relax. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what the hell were you doing out there?” She asked, pressing a second towel to the hole in the front of his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let his thoughts fall back into place. “I heard someone calling and then… It’s a bit hazy until Mel snapped me out of it. You should call Tosh. Make sure Owen isn’t dealing with the same thing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On it.” Melody said, her breaths shallow and quick. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. It hit you with something too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was just… A cold wind… It’ll go... “ She waved him off as she pressed her phone to her ear. “Hi Tosh… Make sure Owen doesn’t… Go wandering off… The snow women… They have a siren song… Caught Jack in the snow… I’m fine… Just cold air… Will do… See you soon. Bye.” She coughed into the crook of her arm and leaned against the nearest guardrail to catch her breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took over holding the towel to his shoulder from Gwen and gestured for her to check on the other woman. She guided Mel to the sofa and pulled away some of the ice cold fabric of her coat, frost glittering across its surface. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m ok.” The blonde smiled. “I’m warming up… Already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just take a break until you can breathe right again, ok?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as Jack was healed he’d wanted to go out and show this snow woman queen exactly what he thought of her little siren song trick, but he didn’t know just how much influence she would have over him. As much as he hated the idea it was most sensible for him to stay at the hub while Ianto and Gwen took out the snow queen. He’d told Melody to just take a break but as per usual the woman could never sit around and do nothing. She’d set about cleaning the blood left from Jacks run in with an icicle. The towels had been thrown in the bio waste bin and what had drained onto the floor had been mopped up. The only thing left was Toshikos poor chair. Melody was carefully cleaning it with a mix of cold water and antibacterial soap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to resting?” He asked, crossing his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked up from the stain she was working on. “I did. I’m breathing just fine now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s your head?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s… A little sore but nothing major.” She knew what he was getting at but she didn’t want to talk about it. Only problem being he didn’t seem to want to let the matter drop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right… Thanks for dragging me out of the snow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. And I should be thanking you. You dove in front of that icicle to protect me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled over a chair and sat down, still feeling a little tired. “I’m surprised you could influence that thing. Its mind must have been so different from a humans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was. Sort of…” She dropped the thin sponge into the foamy water sitting in a bucket beside her. “It was cloudy but once I had eye contact a simple command wasn’t too difficult. I’m just sorry I didn’t pick up on it before you ended up out in the cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t prevent every bad thing from happening. As long as you’re in control of yourself that’s all I can ask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re worried my telepathy is growing too quickly for me to keep up with.” She dried off her cold hands with a rag and turned to face him properly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so. I… I think it’s my temper I don’t have the best control of. When you got stabbed I saw red and…” She sighed, wincing at the ache in her chest. “At least it wasn’t a whole group this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you </span>
  <b>are</b>
  <span> still beating yourself up over that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t that I hurt them… It was how easy it was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think of it the same way you would a gun. Wherever you point it you have to be prepared to pull that trigger and accept the consequences. Pulling the trigger in itself is easy. One small movement. It’s the aftermath that you have to carry. If I’d been in your position with those Osiris guards I would have pulled the trigger without question. They made their move, made their choice. It’s the same with the snow woman. If I could have felt my fingers I would have shot it in the head. It attacked first, not out of fear or confusion, it wanted to kill us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She seemed to think about it for a long moment. “I… Think I’ll be ok.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then can you rest instead of trying to distract yourself? Owen’s kind of recovering so I don’t want to have to call him because you’ve started coughing your lungs up.” He smiled sympathetically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, ok, I give. I’ll take a nap or something. Let me just dispose of this water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you get back you can tell me about how things are going with Heather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chuckled softly, picking up the bucket. “I’m not talking about my love life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not details, just how things are going.” He grinned. “I’m rooting for you two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you but I’m still not getting into it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as you’re happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m very happy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gwen shuddered as she stepped out of the SUV into the cold. The temperature felt a lot lower than the thermometer said it was. She had her hands tucked into her sleeves as she couldn’t use her gun while wearing thick gloves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto handed her a flare. “Hopefully the heat’ll distract it if it gets too violent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was hoping we could shoot it before it even saw us, but thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And get behind me if it starts throwing ice spikes around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to use you like a human shield.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just saying, I can heal-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ianto. I don’t use Jack as a shield and I’m not going to use you as one. There’s more than enough cover in the world to make sure I can get something between me and a stake made of frozen water. Don’t you start with that self sacrifice nonsense. You’re worth more than that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t our whole job that self sacrifice nonsense?” He asked flatly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but not each other. Now, let’s get this done so we can warm up. I’m done with the cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They approached the door, a thick layer of frost creeping out from around the edges of the frame. The door handle turned but the door jammed after only moving a few millimeters. Ianto braced his foot against the wall and pulled with all his might. It finally gave and let out a gust of air so cold it knocked them both back. The building was dark inside, the lights all covered in a thick layer of ice, the same as the walls. They were both glad they’d pulled ice spikes onto the soles of their shoes as they ventured inside. Each step was coated in a thin layer that cracked and crunched under their feet. Gwen held up her torch and saw a figure by the doorway at the bottom of the steps. They were slumped against the wall, frozen to it, eyes staring blankly. She’d really hoped there would be no people in the building. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping into the main area of the club showed a tall pillar of ice, stretching to the ceiling, bodies frozen in place around it. Each reached out towards the pillar, long icicles trailing down from their outstretched arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think it’s in there?” She asked, gesturing to the pillar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto shrugged and pointed his own light towards the structure. Something inside it moved.         </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Melt away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jack turned towards the cog door, sure he was hearing something. He wasn’t sure what but he knew he had to find out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack, don’t you dare.” Melody said, placing herself between him and the door. “I’m not dragging you back in out of the snow, so snap out of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stared at her, his mind trying to filter through the irresistible call and work out what she was saying. It wasn’t easy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me go into your head because I will. Let’s just go and sit down.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sit down? No, he had to find out what was calling him. It was important. Why was she getting in the way? She needed to get out of the way. He picked her up under the arms and moved her aside before letting her go again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really didn’t want to have to do this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Do what? What was she talking about?… A strange sensation in the back of his head made him stop in his tracks. For a moment the voice calling him stopped and he could think clearly. “What? What was I doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think the snow woman’s calling you again. I’m blocking her right now but if you’re acting like this then Owen’s probably doing the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just take Iantos car-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still can’t drive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, that’s something I’m teaching you as soon as this is over. How would you even help from here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t. I’d call Heather or Rhys for a lift, but for now we’ve got to stop you walking out into the snow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can lock me in one of the cells.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You and I both know you have ways to get out of there, but I do have one idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, I’m willing to try. What were you planning?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go and sit on your office chair and I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did as he was told, very curious as to what she’d gone to fetch, hoping she wasn’t planning to shoot him in the head. It might work but he didn’t think she could go through with it. He raised an eyebrow when she returned with a coil of rope. “Melody…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s this or the weevil bands and this is going to be a lot more comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sooo…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arms behind your back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Usually we’d work out a safe word before this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed. “Please don’t make this more awkward than it already is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat quietly suppressing all the jokes he could make while she firmly bound his arms, so there was no way he could free them. “Think you could teach Ianto how to t-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear I will push you down into your bunker if you don’t stop right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Couldn’t help myself. You know I could still walk out of here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not done yet. Get comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He settled in the chair before feeling the rope around his arms tug as they were bound to the central post of the chair itself. She then bound his ankles to the same anchor point, confident that he’d be going nowhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. I’m going to let the block down now and I’m sorry I can’t keep it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled softly. “You’re doing your best and frankly this is the most comfortable I’ve been when tied up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That… This is very awkward. Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound from beyond the door returned and he couldn’t think of anything else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh had washed up the plates from lunch and was considering calling in to check on how everything was going when her phone rang. She rushed to answer so the sound wouldn’t disturb Owen, who’d woken up to eat and almost immediately gone back to sleep afterwards. She recognised Melodys number. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello. Is everything alright?” She asked softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… Yes and no. Gwen and Ianto have gone to deal with the snow queen and I think they might be actively doing that because Jack’s in a kind of trance, trying to get to her. Is Owen acting strange?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s asleep I think, but I can check.” She held her mobile between her ear and shoulder as she tried to open the bedroom door as quietly as possible. On the other end of the phone she could hear Jack shouting to be let go. “Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. He’s restrained… And I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, even if he screamed at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She peeked around the door to see Owen sitting up in bed, eyes half lidded. “Owen?... Are you ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He mumbled quietly but didn’t move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you lie back down? You’re still recovering.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned his head and listened intently to something. “Need to… What’s that… Calling…” He murmured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need me to rush over? I can call for a lift.” Melody asked, sounding as if she was already pulling on her coat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh shook her head, as if Mel could see her. “No, no. I can handle this. I just have to keep him here, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I think as soon as the queen’s dead the effect should stop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then just leave it to me. I’ll call you back in a while, ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re sure. Just please be careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will.” She hung up the call and walked into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand rifling around in the bedside draw. “Owen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced at her for a moment before going back to listening. He barely noticed when she took his hand, or when she clipped one side of the handcuffs around his wrist. He only really started to realise when his wrist was already tethered to the bars of the headboard. Even then he didn’t exactly fight it. She reached over to brush his cheek with her fingertips and he followed the movement, making eye contact with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ok.” She smiled warmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked slowly. “What’s that noise… Sounds like screaming… A woman screaming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the snow woman but I’m not going to let her anywhere near you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to go but it keeps calling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not letting you go.” She slipped into bed and wrapped her arms around him.     </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pillar of ice in the centre of the room shattered, throwing large chunks of ice skittering across the floor, some pieces still holding chunks of what used to be people. The haze of cold caught the light from both Gwen and Iantos torches, making it harder to see what exactly was emerging from the ice. Whatever it was sounded like the crackling of freshly broken ice and the whistle of a winter wind. The thing from the ice moved across the rink that had once been a dance floor and towards the bar, the ethereal whistling of ice skipping over ice announced where it had skated to. When their torches caught up they illuminated the snow queen. It looked similar to the snow woman they’d seen before but taller, it’s skirt that was more likely part of its body was rounded and voluminous, and its sleeves that could have been more like fins were longer. Frost glittered over its body and long icicles grew from its head like an elaborate crown. It would have been beautiful if not for its face. Its eyes, that same milky white and its skin had the same pallor as the other creature, but this one showed a mouth full of needle-like teeth sticking out of blackened gums.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It moved its frostbitten fingers, collecting the frozen condensation from the air and forming it into a sharp icicle. Gwen dove to the left while Ianto dove to the right, avoiding being impaled by millimeters. She aimed her gun and fired, but she was shivering so much that she missed by a mile, a bottle of whisky that had been sitting on an upper shelf above the bar exploded into shards of glass mixed with ice and honey coloured liquid. The air was cold but dry and would have been perfect to set alight if the creature hadn’t immediately frozen the alcohol solid. Ianto was next to fire and he too missed. It was a near impossible shot. They were working by only torchlight and they were both shivering due to the cold. He took the flare from his coat pocket and ignited it before throwing it across the room, giving them a fighting chance. The snow queen screeched in frustration, the sound rattling off the walls becoming almost deafening. It tried to gather moisture from the air but found it had already used up what was available. While it was distracted they both fired into the snow queen. With enough bullets it didn’t matter if they missed a few shots. It shattered like glass and almost instantly the temperature began to rise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack stopped shouting, finally. Mel guessed it actually hadn’t taken that long but she could not handle shouting even in short bursts. She rubbed her eyes and dared peek around the archway leading to his office. He looked up and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It stopped… Have I been shouting this whole time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bit.” She said. “Are you ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so. Did you call Tosh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She said she had it under control. Owen’s probably still pretty weak from yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True… Can you untie me now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Once I’ve checked that it’s really stopped.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swept through his mind, no longer finding the haze of the snow womans influence. “Looks all clear.” She deftly untied the knots, spooling the rope over her arm, and set him free. “Are you ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded and beamed. “Seriously, you’ve got to teach Ianto how to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack!” She huffed, her face turning a bright red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His warm laughter filled the air. “Why don’t you call Tosh and I’ll get in contact with the others.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Owen had finally settled. He’d spent the time mumbling and weakly trying to escape but Tosh had just held him patiently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… Tosh? Why am I handcuffed to the bed?” He asked, his voice clearer than it had been before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She breathed a sigh of relief. “You were trying to walk off into the snow.” She unlocked the handcuffs and tossed them back into the bedside draw. “How do you feel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bit better. Still aching a bit but nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” He sat up and looked out of the window. “Looks like the snow’s stopped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We might actually be able to go out for new years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as we’re somewhere warm I’m up for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This hasn’t been our worst year. I mean we’re all still together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t jinx it. We’ve still got another day left. Wales could spontaneously combust.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’d certainly be warm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed warmly. “Right, I need a shower.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give me ten minutes to call in and I’ll join you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gwen gave Melody a lift home after the long and tiring day. Heather smiled brightly when her girlfriend returned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Long day?” She asked, turning down the TV. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mel took off her coat and hung it up next to the shoe rack. “You could say that. Sorry to leave you so much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine. Look, I changed the bed.” She patted the still unfolded sofa bed. “Laundry’s done. I thought it might help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She collapsed down onto the bed and curled up next to Heather. “It does. It helps a lot.” She pulled off her jumper and unbuttoned the top of her shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to your chest?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Her skin was still bright red from the ice burn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It looks like it hurts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not too bad. I just got caught out in the snow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mel-” she sat forward and turned to face her girlfriend, “- I know you can’t talk about your work and I’m ok with that. Just, it’s ok to say you got hurt if you did. I won’t ask questions if you don’t want me to, but please try not to outright lie to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you’re involved in is dangerous. I get that. You want to keep me out of it so I’m not in the line of fire but if you need to talk about whatever's going on, you can. Be as vague as you want but let me help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you and Rhys talking about while I was at work?” She was suddenly very nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing. Well, we talked about rugby and Gwen but nothing to do with your work. I’m not stupid. I know what bit your shoulder wasn’t a dog. No office keeps the hours you do. Plus you’re a telepath. I’d be more shocked if some organisation hadn’t headhunted you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heather… I can’t-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. It’s ok. You can do your secret agent stuff and I can pretend you’re just working in an office but…” She reached over and gently pulled her shirt aside to show the extent of the burn. “Let me help you with this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melody took a moment and rested her hand over Heathers. “It is an ice burn. That wasn’t a lie.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then let me go and get the aloe gel and we’ll try and get you patched up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She slipped off her shirt as her girlfriend walked to the bathroom to get the aloe. Her mind raced. She didn’t want to tamper with Heathers memory again. This wasn’t like just removing a single event, she’d have to practically remove herself from the womans life. The idea made her want to cry. She couldn’t do it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, it’s ok. Please don’t cry.” Heather said softly, brushing a tear from her cheek. “Why don’t we spend the night here. Order dinner in, sit in bed and watch a movie or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded and sniffled, running her pendant between her thumb and index finger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you can tell me the story about that necklace one day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One day.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p>
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